Claude Debussy at the table

At the Parisian table of the late 19th century, the meal unfolds in an orderly succession of courses brought one after the other: cold hors-d'œuvre, soup, fish course, entrée, roast, sweet entremets, then coffee and liqueurs in the salon. No longer are all dishes placed at once: each dish arrives hot, at its appointed time, under the watchful eye of the maître d'hôtel. There is no simple starter/main/dessert structure: it is a gourmet symphony in several movements, where clarified soup and entremets each have their dignity.

This entire cuisine rests on two gestures: patiently clarified fumet and consommé (clear liquid drawn from meat or fish, reduced to amber color) and fresh Normandy butter, mounted or melted, which binds sauces and gives that recognizable velvety texture of pre-war French haute cuisine.